Concetti Chiave
- Drama refers to any theatrical performance, originating from a Greek word meaning 'action' or 'play', encompassing both tragic and comic forms.
- The concept of a play is central to drama, indicating a work written for stage performance, and in English, the term 'play' also relates to various activities like sports and music.
- An audience is essential for a play, differentiating it from poetry or prose, as drama involves a collaborative staging effort that is unique to each performance.
- Drama has evolved from being written in verse, as seen in ancient works and Shakespeare, to predominantly using prose since the 18th century, aligning with the rise of the novel.
WHAT IS DRAMA?
Definition of drama
Drama is the English word for a theatrical performance. It comes from a Greek word that means ‘action’ – or ‘play’ in the sense of action, movement. It is thus associated with a group of people doing things and another group watching them, and also with great tension deriving deriving from:
a) a sense of loss and fear;
b) a sense of joy.
Thus, unlike in Italian, the English word ‘drama’ generically means any theatrical performance, whether tragic or comic.
WHAT IS A PLAY?
Concept of play
Central to an understanding of drama is the notion of a play. This is the term used to indicate any work written to be performed on the stage: so ‘Hamlet’ is a play. In English, though, the word ‘play’ has a wider range of meanings. As in French or German – but not in Italian – it is also used to indicate an activity linked to sports, game, music, reproduction of sounds and pictures. The list on the right gives you an idea of this variety.
Importance of the audience
To become a play, a text written for the theatre needs an audience: we cannot conceive of drama without an audience. Thus, a play differs from a poem or narrative prose, both of which generically presuppose individual readers or listeners. Each time text is performed it is also interpreted: the stage may be set differently, actors may move differently on stage, words may be spoken differently. Drama is thus the art from concerned with the staging, or performing, of plays. As such, it is a cooperative effort between playwright, director, actors and audience, renewed at every performance and subject to great variations.
VERSE DRAMA AND PROSE DRAMA
Evolution of drama
As an art form, drama has been written both in verse and prose. Ancient drama was usually in verse, while Shakespeare’s plays are often a mixture of verse and prose. Since the 18th century, on the other hand, prose has been the favorite medium of the theatre –a trend that has coincided with the gradual development of the novel.
Domande da interrogazione
- What is the origin and meaning of the term "drama"?
- How does a play differ from other literary forms like poetry or prose?
- How has the medium of drama evolved over time?
The term "drama" originates from a Greek word meaning 'action' or 'play' in the sense of movement. It refers to a theatrical performance involving a group of people performing and another group watching, often associated with emotions like loss, fear, and joy.
A play is specifically written to be performed on stage and requires an audience, unlike poetry or prose, which are typically read individually. Each performance of a play involves interpretation and variation, making it a collaborative art form involving playwrights, directors, actors, and audiences.
Drama has evolved from being primarily written in verse, as seen in ancient drama and Shakespeare's works, to predominantly using prose since the 18th century. This shift coincided with the rise of the novel as a literary form.
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